Australian Off Road Campers Matrix

WE LIKED:

• Good sturdy camper in small caravan configuration
• rugged suspension system
• draw bar option of carrying a quad bike

NOT SO MUCH:

• Powder coated rather than galvanised chassis
• Limited headroom in doorway
• No spring or gas struts on overhead cupboard doors

Queensland-based Australian Off Road Campers has been on the outback camper scene for some time, progressing from its ‘far from ordinary’ Odyssey trailers to what is now the flagship of the fleet, the Matrix.

A natural progression of its Quantum pop-top model, the Matrix is the company’s first attempt at a fully featured, full head height off road caravan. And judging by our initial impressions, it looks up to the job.

ROCK SOLID

Unlike previous AORC campers, this model leans heavily on cored fibreglass for its body construction which gives it strength, the ability to flex without cracking and a reduction in weight compared with other materials. It’s also pretty good at insulating against the heat or cold.

The neatly finished panels are fibreglass each side, foam filled and hung on an aluminium frame.

The floor is also fibreglass and the shape of the trailer displays heavily chamfered top sides to alleviate collisions with overgrowth, for which you’ll be thankful for when getting seriously off-road.

Two 135W solar panels are fixed to the roof while slung underneath, are two 140 litre polytanks for water.

The chassis consists of a drawbar that runs from the DO35 fully articulated hitch all the way back to the axle assembly which is positioned well toward the rear. It consists of 100 x 50mm high tensile steel which is laminated and powdercoated.

The independent suspension is comprised of two trailing arms. Each arm is fitted with a coil spring and two heavy duty shockers with Alko hubs that have 12-inch electric brakes with bearings rated to 2200kg.

The framework extending from the rear of the chassis comes up the back wall and holds a pair of fuel cans and the spare wheel. It’s further secured to the back corners of the trailer as well.

INSIDE THE MATRIX

Step inside and you’ll find the kitchen immediately on the right and the foot of the queen sized bed on your left. The bed features a full inner spring mattress hence there’s no lift up, full or partial, to access stowage in the bed base. Instead, six large drawers have been installed in the front of the module.

All windows feature pull across insect and sun screens and those in the bedroom have their sills at mattress level which allows for the best cross ventilation possible on hot balmy nights.

Storage cupboards run from the front down each side, but we would have liked to have seen either spring or gas struts attached to prevent having to hold a door open with one hand while rummaging around inside with the other.

Due to the raking profile of the top front of the Matrix’s body (for improved aerodynamics), there were no storage facilities on the front ceiling where it meets the wall panel.

GLAMPING AT ITS FINEST

The dining arrangement consists of two single fabric-covered seats opposite each other and a removable table top; all well placed to take advantage of the ventilation through the large window next to it.

A compartment under the table against the wall hosts the twin canister water filtration system and the diesel heater, while under the forward dining seat you’ll find the 1500 Watt pure sine inverter and Truma gas fired hot water service for the internal and external shower and kitchen sink.

The other single seat has vacant storage in its base accessible from an aperture at the front.

The shower cubicle abuts the rear of one of the dining seats and is full height with a good rubber seal on the door. It’s compact yet very serviceable with a hand rose installed and a Dometic vacuum toilet.

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

The L shaped kitchen occupies the rear nearside of the Matrix and features a matching bench top, high splash back, and single bowl sink and drainer.

Flush mounted in the bench top is a Webasto electric cooktop which operates via the 1500 watt inverter or land power.

AORC is forever seeking the best mix of standard and optional fittings and what you will see in future Matrix campers is a three burner gas cooktop rather than one electric and a reduction in the size of the inverter from 1500W to 300W.

There’s a huge amount of drawer space available in the two sides of this kitchen module, as well as space for a pair of 100Ah batteries located behind a removable panel.

The Vitrifrigo fridge is 130 litres in volume but quite small in its external dimensions, thanks to its external compressor being installed to the side of the fridge cabinet behind a ventilated panel.

Top quality vinyl is used on the floor and it looks like it has good non-slip properties.

You step out of the camper using a removable step. AORC is planning changes here too, with a rebate put in the floor at the door so you can enter and leave with less chance of head contact on the top of the doorway aperture.

WAIT, THERE’S MORE...

Outside, near the BBQ access door, is a round tube that runs full width and is accessible from both sides. It’s a good place for storing annexe poles and other long tools.

The BBQ access door is quite large and opens to reveal a sliding drawer on which a Weber Baby-Q 120 is semi permanently fitted. I’ve had three decades of experience with various marine and outdoor BBQs and own a Baby-Q 100 model carried in my trailer; it’s without doubt the best camp cooker I have used to date.

A close inspection of this and other external doors reveals good quality dust seals so items such as the BBQ would never need removing other than for major servicing or repair. The Webers are quite foolproof and sturdy so that occasion might never eventuate.

There’s also a large roll out awning that may be propped against the body or have the legs staked down to square up the area and allow the installation of side and front screens.

MORE STORAGE UP FRONT

Recent changes to the laws governing gas plumbing and bottle installation has seen a flurry of design changes in this industry. To this end the Matrix has two 4.5kg bottles locked away in a container against the front of the camper body on the draw bar.

Above this area a horizontal fold down bench creates a place to store firewood for transport to the next camp. The draw bar has other optional uses as well, including a quad bike rack or an 1100mm tool box.

A 20 litre water container sits on one side of the gas bottle box and the 12 litre diesel supply for the internal heater is fixed on the opposite side.

The van we reviewed had the space between the draw bar arms covered in with aluminium checker plate, but this is another area where spare water and fuel tanks might find a home.

In the forward part of the offside wall two large doors fold down to reveal extra storage space: a 350 litre capacity slide out drawer (perfect for chairs and tables) and a 277 litre compartment with shelves.

VERDICT

The Matrix comes about as the result of a recent trend which sees quite a few diehard camper trailer enthusiasts opting for more creature comforts when heading into the bush. In particular, the ability to get inside a shell without the need to put up a canvas top and the associated guy ropes and banging in of pegs.

It might be an age thing where people soften a little regards their outdoor activities. Or perhaps we are seeing an evolution in part of the camper trailer market.

Either way, traditional camper trailers are here to stay but we think the Australian public are going to see a lot more of this type of caravan-style, off road camper trailer.

And this one is worth more than a casual glance. It has all the ingredients required to do the job in style and comfort and would appear to be very bush worthy.

AUSTRALIAN OFF ROAD CAMPERS MATRIX

Overall length: 6.7m                
External width: 1.95m            
Internal height: 1.9m           
Nameplate tare: 1700kg        
Nameplate ATM: 2200kg      
Ball weight: 150kg                  
Cooktop: Webasto electric (will be changed to gas on future models)                        
Fridge:  130 litre                           
Gas:  2 x 4.5kg                            
Freshwater: 2 x 140 litres                
Suspension:  Independent trailing arm with coil spring and two shockers on each arm
Price: from $85,000
Options fitted: Diesel heater ($2500)
More info: Australian Off Road Campers